A New Start
by katrinachance
Summary: An accident after the masque gains Danielle and Henry a new start at love
1. Chapter 1

Chapter One

A New Life Begins

Danielle runs down the road after the masque, running back to the manor, devastated after the way Henry had treated her after Rodmilla had told her version of the truth. She couldn't believe that he would ever treat her like that.

Just as she was running, she tripped and fell. Before she could get up, she was run over by several coaches and knocked out.

A carriage finally noticed the form laying in the middle of the road and stopped. The coachman was ordered down from his seat and told to check it out.

"It is a young woman, mistress. She's obviously been run over by several carriages," He relayed to his mistress.

"Is she alive?" the woman asks.

"Yes, but she is hurt badly," the coachman says.

"We'll take her to the chateau and help her heal and then she can tell us who she is," the woman tells him.

The coachman quickly obeys his mistress's commands and picks up the young woman and lays her in the carriage. He closes the door and climbs up to his chair and continues onward toward his intended destination.

* * *

Duchess Cecelia de Valle waits in front of her home, the Chateau de Valle, for her cousin, Marquise Annaliese de Monfort, to arrive. She had sent an invitation many weeks ago to her cousin to come visit her and her family for a few weeks. Annaliese had told her that she was coming tonight, so Cecelia had decided not to attend the masque, as did her son Marcus and her husband Duke Anthony de Valle. All looked forward to seeing Annaliese, because every visit she would bring a letter from Marcus's old friend Angelina de Vivre, whom he had become friends with before the death of her father had her mother taking her to live with her grandparents while she pursued a new life for them. Sadly, her mother had died within months and her grandparents continued to raise her.

The carriage pulled up outside the chateau and her coachman approached the door of the coach and opened it, first taking out the young woman they had found horribly run over not far from Hautefort. Annaliese came next and Cecelia came forward. "Annaliese, who is this?"

"We found her not far from Hautefort. She had been run over several times before we came upon her," Annaliese said.

"The poor thing! Let's get her inside and clean her up. Then I'll send for the doctor," Cecelia said.

The coachman carried the young woman inside and into the grand room Cecelia had directed him to and he laid the young woman atop a clean sheet her servants had placed on top of the bed.

They quickly stripped off the gown she wore and cleaned off any dirt from her face and arms. They dressed her in an old nightgown of Cecelia's and placed her under the cover on the bed.

Cecelia sent for her doctor and he arrived within 10 minutes. The doctor quickly examined the young woman and gave his diagnosis.

"It will be a long healing process, but she should recover completely, other than possible memory loss from her head injury. Don't move her from this bed unless I say so," the doctor said.

"We will not move her unless absolutely necessary. You do not have to worry, doctor," Cecelia said. "How long do you think it will be before she wakes up?"

"It may be a while. Her head injuries may keep her unconscious for a while. I also gave her a mild sedative so she will stay asleep for a while, so she is not in as much pain as she could be in with all her injuries," the doctor explained.

"Thank you, doctor," Cecelia said, leading the doctor to the door.

"I will come by in a few days to check on her progress. If she does awaken, please keep her as still as possible until I come," the doctor said.

"Of course. We will see you in a few days, doctor," Cecelia said before she closed the door of the chateau.

Cecelia walked back up to the young girl's room where Annaliese was sitting on the side of the bed, stroking the young woman's hair on her forehead. "I wonder why she fell on the road like that," she said.

"Something must have happened at the masque tonight that put her in that position," Cecelia said. "I will inquire about it with the other courtiers about her."

"It is too bad that you did not attend. You could have prevented this from happening to such a beautiful young girl," Annaliese said.

"We shall never know for sure. I am just happy that you found her before she was hurt worse or killed," Cecelia said.

"Very true. We should get some rest and let her rest so she may begin to heal," Annaliese said.

"Of course. Your usual room has been prepared and Genevieve is waiting for you as promised," Cecelia said as she and Annaliese left the room.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

Days went by during Annaliese's visit with no response out of the young woman. The doctor had come to check on her every day, but he saw very little improvement in her condition, which he, of course, expected.

The day of the royal wedding arrived and Annaliese, Cecelia, Marcus, and Anthony were preparing to take the trip to the church for the wedding. Marcus walked into the young woman's room and gazed at the young woman laying there on the bed. She was so beautiful. He couldn't believe how stupid his good friend was. He had heard what had happened at the masque and had figured out who she was.

"Oh, Danni! I can't believe that Henry treated you like this! And your stepmother will pay for this! I promise you! I had always wondered what had happened to you, where you had gone. Now I know," Marcus said.

"Marcus, what are you talking about?" Cecelia asked as she came into the room.

"Mother, do you remember my good friend Danielle de Barbarac?" Marcus asked his mother.

"Of course. But I have not seen her in years, not since her father's funeral ten years ago," Cecelia said.

"Mother, we've had her here in our home for the past few days," Marcus said.

"Are you sure?" Cecelia asked. "Are you sure that this young woman is Danielle?"

"Yes, I am. I heard what happened at the masque and that it was Danielle who had been the young woman who had said she was a comtess. His highness turned her away at the masque when she admitted that what her stepmother said was true," Marcus explained.

"What did Rodmilla do to Danielle?" Cecelia asked, a menacing tone in her voice.

"Apparently, for the last ten years, she has been a servant to Rodmilla and her daughters," Marcus said.

"That woman! How dare she do this to Danielle! She will pay for this!" Cecelia exclaimed before leaving the room and heading down the stairs to where Annaliese and Anthony were waiting.

Anthony turned to his wife and saw the fury in her eyes. "Cecelia, what is going on?"

"Marcus knows who the young girl is. It is Danielle de Barbarac," Cecelia explained.

"August's daughter? Are you sure that it is her?" Anthony asked his son.

The nineteen year old nods. "Yes, I am sure. I remember her well. And I found out what happened at the masque to lead her to be on that road that night," Marcus said.

"We shall discuss this in the carriage on the way to the church," Anthony said before he and his family headed out the door of the chateau and to the carriage that was waiting to take them to the church for the royal wedding.

* * *

By the time they reached the church, Marcus had explained everything to his father and he could see the anger and hatred for Rodmilla filling his eyes.

"How dare that woman do this to Danielle! She will pay for this!" Anthony shouted, then calmed himself. He knew better than to get upset. He knew that they had to have evidence of what she had done to flaunt in the woman's face when they would confront her abut how she had treated Danielle.

The four of them walked into the church and sat in their pew before four sets of eyes turned and glared at Baroness Rodmilla de Ghent and her daughters.

The church quieted a few minutes later as King Francis and Queen Marie as well as the King and Queen of Spain took their places in the thrones set on two sides of the church.

A moment later, Prince Henry himself came in and took his place at the front of the church. Now, they only had to await the entrance of Princess Gabriella.

A small choir began to sing the Kyrie as Gabriella and her ladies-in-waiting began to walk down the aisle as everyone stood and bowed or curtsied slightly as the princess made her way down the aisle.

Marcus smiled when he noticed that Princess Gabriella was crying. Apparently she did not want this wedding to take place. He then looked over to the side of the room and saw a man that had come with the Spanish contingent that was also crying.

Marcus touched his mother's shoulder and Cecelia looks and sees the man crying and nods. Both of them realize that the man and Gabriella must love each other and are saddened by the fact that they are about to be separated.

Princess Gabriella makes it up to Henry's side and they both kneel in front of the cardinal and the Princess's sobs become louder.

Henry began to laugh and he rose, bringing Gabriella with him. She tried to explain herself in Spanish, but Henry didn't understand, but it didn't seem to matter.

"Madame, I know exactly how you feel," he said before kissing her on the cheek and letting Gabriella go to the man she loved.

Henry rushed out the side door of the church and began to quickly walk away.


	3. Chapter 3

Thank you everyone for the wonderful reviews! TammyLynnSlark, where have you been? I've missed your reviews!

Here are chapters three and four. Please read and review!

Chapter Three

Prince Henry continued to walk down beside the line of carriages when he notices Maurice and remembers that day when he had seen Danielle in the courtyard.

He runs up to the carriage at that moment. "Where is she?"

"The baroness?" Maurice asks.

"Nic-Danielle."

"We do not know, sire."

"What do you mean you do not know?"

Jacqueline's voice comes from beside him at that moment. "Danielle has not been seen since the masque. We fear that she might have run away or has been hurt and can't return."

From behind them, Marcus speaks. "She was hurt the night of the masque."

Henry turned toward his good friend. "How do you know?"

"Mother's cousin Annaliese found her on the road on the night of the masque. She had been run over by several carriages before she found her and brought her to the chateau."

"Is she alright?" Jacqueline asked, concerned for her stepsister.

"She was injured pretty badly. She has been asleep or unconscious as the doctor said, for days. The doctor said her recovery will be slow and that she may not wake up for a while," Marcus explained.

"Can I see her?" Henry asked.

"You may," Cecelia said from behind her son. "Having you visit may actually help her wake up sooner."

"And when you come to see her, we have a lot to explain to you about who Danielle is," Marcus said.

Henry nods and then runs back to the palace, his mind on Danielle.

* * *

Hours later, the entire royal family was on their way to the Chateau de Valle. Henry, of course, was going to see Danielle while King Francis and Queen Marie were going to hear the explanation from Cecelia, Anthony, and Marcus about who Danielle was.

After Marie and Francis had arrived back at the palace, Henry had told them that Danielle had been hurt by being run over by several carriages on her way back to the manoir. He also told them that there were a lot of details that Marcus had to tell him about Danielle and who she truly was.

They were very curious about what Marcus and his parents knew about Danielle, so they insisted on coming with him so that they could hear the explanation.

They arrived at the chateau and saw Anthony and Cecelia waiting outside for them. "Your majesties, welcome. I assume you are here to hear about who Danielle really is," Cecelia said.

"Yes, indeed. We have been wondering what you could possibly know about the young woman, so we came to hear about her," King Francis said as they stood in front of the Duke and Duchess.

"We shall tell you all," Cecelia said as she lead them into the chateau and into the parlor.

The King and Queen sat on ornate chairs around the room while Henry began to pace the room.

Anthony began the explanation. "We had not seen Danielle for years, until my wife's cousin found her on the road not long after the masque. When Marcus realized who she was, he inquired of what had happened at the masque. That told us why we had not seen her for so long."

"Danielle's father was Baron Auguste de Barbarac, the proprietor of the Manoir de Barbarac. He raised Danielle alone after her mother, Baroness Nicole du Loncret de Barbarac, died in childbirth. When Danielle was eight, Auguste married Rodmilla de Ghent and she and her daughters came to live at the manor. Auguste told me not much later that marrying that social climber was a mistake. But it was too late to do anything about it. He died a fortnight after bringing Rodmilla to the manor, leaving Danielle an orphan," Cecelia continued.

"This was when we saw Danielle the last time. We saw her at Auguste's funeral. After that, we never saw her again. But from what we have learned, not long afterwards, Danielle was turned into a servant in her own home. For the past ten years, she has been a servant to the baroness and her daughters," Anthony continued.

"By what we've learned, the day Danielle first met your son, your highness, she went to get the servant Maurice back. Maurice practically raised her after her father's death. But she knew that she couldn't get into the castle unless she was a courtier, so she dressed the part and got Maurice back and she met Henry, but she was scared. Since she could be locked in the stocks for dressing above her station, so when he asked for a name, she gave hom the name of her beloved mother, even though she should've had every right to enter the palace, after all, she is Auguste's daughter, the Baron of the Manoir de Barbarac," Cecelia said.

"Danielle was wronged by hr stepmother for so long. Danielle deserves justice for how Rodmilla treated her," Anthony said.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four

Henry and his parents sat stunned at what Anthony and Cecelia had revealed about Danielle.

Henry was the first one to speak. "What do you know about our last meeting at Amboise? Why did Danielle pull away from me?"

"By what we've learned, before she met you at Amboise, she was lashed severely by Rodmilla. That is quite possibly why she pulled way from you because she was in pain, pain she could not ignore. You probably pressed against her wounds when you embraced her," Cecelia said.

Henry bowed his head, remembering the slight gasp of pain she had given at the end of their kiss. "No wonder she pulled away and didn't want to stay. She didn't want me to see her in such pain," he said in a quiet voice.

Queen Marie shook her head. "I cannot believe that woman! I cannot believe that anyone would treat a young woman like that! She will pay for how she treated Danielle!" she exclaims.

"Indeed she will. Rodmilla de Ghent has gone too far. I was good friends with Auguste years ago. I also remember when he married Nicole and when they announced Nicole's pregnancy to the court. I promised Auguste that his child would be considered a part of our family. I should have recognized her name the night of the masque. But it had been so long since Auguste and I had seen each other, not long before Nicole gave birth to Danielle, so the name de Barbarac did not register in my mind," King Francis said vehemently.

"May I see Danielle now?" Henry asked.

"Yes, your highness, you may," Cecelia said as she pulled a bell pull and a servant came into the room.

"Yes, mistress?" the servant, a young girl of 14, asked.

"Willow, please take his highness to Danielle's room and sent Jacqueline down here. She should tell their majesties the truth about some other facts about how Rodmilla treated Danielle," Cecelia commands.

"Of course, mistress," Willow said. She beckoned the prince and he followed her out of the room and up the stairs to the room where Danielle had lain for days.

Willow opened the door to a quiet room. Danielle laid still on the bed, in a comatose state. Jacqueline sat beside the bed, holding Danielle's hand.

"Miss Jacqueline, the duchess would like to see you in the parlor so you may explain how your mother treated Danielle to their majesties," Willow told Jacqueline.

Jacqueline nodded before getting up from the chair. She quickly curtsied before Henry before she left the room and headed down the stairs.

Henry sat down in the chair and took Danielle's hand in his and gazed upon her peaceful face.

* * *

In the parlor, Jacqueline took a chair beside the duchess and waited until the King nodded at her before she began the explanation that would fill in the blanks of what the duke and duchess didn't know.

"Your majesties, barely a week after my stepfather passed away, my mother turned against Danielle. It started with her doing what the other servants did, then she moved her into the servant's quarters in the attic and made her dress as a servant. Her room, clothes, and status immediately went to Marguerite.

"Danielle did it all without complaint, as she felt that one day, things would change. And in a way, she was ready to make that change herself.

"The day that Danielle met his highness at Amboise, she was lashed by my mother. That morning, Danielle had not woken up at her usual time and therefore, breakfast was not on time. And as punishment, she would not be allowed to go to the masque with us. Danielle came into the room as Marguerite was trying on Danielle's mother's dress. Marguerite insulted Danielle's mother and Danielle punched her and then Danielle and Marguerite ran down the stairs into the parlor where Marguerite picked up Utopia and held it over the fire. Danielle was told by mother to make a choice, her mother's shoes or her book, which Auguste had given her a fortnight before his death. She handed over the shoes, but Marguerite still threw the book into the fire. Then mother lashed Danielle before she and Marguerite traveled to the palace for tea with you, your highness.

"The name you asked mother about was one she recognized because she knew that it was Danielle's mother's name. It also confirmed for her the fact that Danielle was the young woman that the prince was falling for. That is why she told you that she was getting married, because mother was so determined to make sure that Marguerite would marry the prince.

"They arrived back at the manor to find that the gown was not in Marguerite's room as it should have been. The servants and I had hidden the gown underneath a floorboard in Danielle's room.

"Danielle arrived back at the manor and Rodmilla confronted her, then locked her in the cellar. According to Paulette, about an hour after the masque began, Signore DaVinci and Gustave arrived and freed her from the cellar and got her dressed and made up for the masque.

"When Danielle arrived at the masque, mother knew she had to do something and told a half-truth about Danielle. The one thing I should have revealed was that she was more than a servant, she was my stepsister."


	5. Chapter 5

Thanks to all my readers and reviewers! Sorry it took so long to get a new chapter up for you.

A little reward for all of you, the next two chapters!

Chapter Five

"I can understand why you did not. You had the feeling that no one would believe you, even though you were telling the truth," Queen Marie said.

Jacqueline nodded before King Francis spoke. "Thank you, Mademoiselle de Ghent. We now have enough knowledge of the situation to understand who Danielle de Barbarac is and why she did what she did. It also shows us the fact that your mother needs to be punished for how she treated her stepchild, the actual owner of the Manoir de Barbarac. Of course, we shall wait to punish Rodmilla until Danielle recovers," he said.

"The doctor told us that it would be a while before she would even wake up, if ever. The injuries she sustained the night of the masque were quite serious. The doctor warned us that if she does recover, that she may have amnesia," Cecelia said.

"Danielle is stubborn. She will recover and will remember, especially with his highness by her side," Jacqueline said.

"I hope that you are right. It would be a shame if she didn't recover and didn't get to see her stepmother punished for how she treated her stepchild," Cecelia said.

"And her one stepsister as well. Marguerite deserves to be punished as well for how she treated Danielle," Jacqueline said.

"We already have an idea for Marguerite's punishment. We thought that Marguerite would make a good servant to Danielle when she awakens," Anthony said.

Jacqueline laughed at the thought of Marguerite as a servant girl to Danielle. "A definite switch in roles would be nice for Danielle and very humorous as well. Can you imagine my sister Marguerite as a servant?" Jacqueline asked with a laugh.

Chuckles came from around the room at that thought.

-----------------

Marguerite de Ghent was worried. It had been several hours since the royal wedding came apart and she had not seen her sister or his highness since. By now she had expected the prince would have come and claim her for his bride. And plus Danielle had gone missing.

She had never admitted it to anyone, but she was truly concerned for Danielle. She loved her sister, but hid the love behind a wall of false contempt and jealousy.

She hated it every single time when Danielle was harshly punished. She cringed every time her stepsister was lashed and she knew the last one, the day before the masque, was the worst one that Rodmilla had ever given.

She walked in the overgrown gardens of the manor toward an old green house. She came out here every time that her mother got on her nerves or worried her after one of her tirades on Danielle.. She came out here to think, to have some privacy when she needed it.

No one, not even the servants, knew she came here. This was her secret and no one else was allowed out here anyway.

She opened the door and walked inside and turned toward a wall of glass. She sat down before it and sighed. Her thoughts were so jumbled, but her major thought was her stepsister. She was so worried about her. She had been missing for over a week. Not that she would've seen her for too long after the masque, because her mother had sold her to LePieu.

Marguerite jumped up as a thought struck her. She should go to the palace and tell the truth about who Danielle truly was and take the punishment that his highness would think was appropriate.

She left the greenhouse and headed for the stables and swiftly saddled her horse. She rode off to the palace, determined to tell the king the truth about everything.

-------------------

Nightfall had come by the time Marguerite arrived outside the Chateau de Valle. She could see the royal carriage waiting outside and knew that their majesties were still inside.

She was helped off her horse by a servant and was quickly taken to the parlor where the Duke and King Francis still remained. Marie had joined her son and Jacqueline in Danielle's room and Cecelia and Marcus had gone to see about supper.

"Your majesty, Duke de Valle, I come before you not as a noblewoman, but as a person who deserves to die for how I treated my stepsister, as well as for not stopping how my mother treated her," Marguerite spoke humbly from where she had knelt before the two men.

Both men were shocked at Marguerite. Neither one ever expected that Marguerite de Ghent would ever admit her guilt in such a humble way.

"Lady de Ghent, your punishment has not been decided yet. But a consideration for leniency may be given if you can give us evidence against your mother," King Francis told her.

Marguerite nodded and proceeded to tell the duke and the king everything she knew about her mother's plans.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter Six

Months later

Henry sat by Danielle's bedside holding her hand, as he had done for many months now. Danielle still had not opened her eyes and Henry was worried.

Marguerite walked into the room with the doctor by her side. "Your highness, the doctor is here. You must give the doctor the room he needs," she said.

Henry nodded before rising from her side and crossing the room to allow the doctor to examine Danielle. He gazed out over the gardens of the chateau. Danielle would love the gardens.

The doctor finished his examination of his patient about an hour later and left the room. Henry followed after the doctor after two servants came into the room to help Marguerite change the sheets on Danielle's bed and to give the still comatose Danielle a spongebath.

Henry followed the doctor down the hall to the Duke's conference room where Marcus, Cecelia, and Marie were waiting. Jacqueline and Laurent came into the room a moment later.

"Doctor, how is she?" Cecelia asked.

"Lady Danielle's recovery is nearly complete by what I can see. Her head injury is still there, but has greatly lessened in the past few months. I expect her to wake up in the next few days," her doctor reported.

Henry smiled at the doctor as he heard the doctor's prediction. He had waited so long for Danielle to awaken.

Marguerite rushed into the room at that moment. "Doctor, Danielle is awake!"

The entire group rushed down the hall to Danielle's room. They entered to see Danielle laying on her bed, her eyes wide open and a smile gracing her features.

"My lady, welcome back," the doctor greeted.

"Thank you. How long have I been asleep?" she asked.

"For many months, Lady Danielle. You had many injuries that kept you from awakening. Now, I will examine you to see if there are any lasting effects of the accident," the doctor said.

The examination took a few minutes and assured Danielle a full recovery from the accident. "My lady, you will be fine. There may be a lingering pain in your head or a blurring of your sight, but rest assured, you will be fine."

"Thank you, doctor," Danielle said.

"I will be back to see you in a few days. Until then, I do not want you to leave that bed by yourself. There is a lot we need to do to get your mobility back. Ask for help if you want to leave the bed. I will bring a wheelchair for you on my next visit," the doctor told her before leaving the room.

Danielle nodded before turning toward the people standing in the doorway. "Marcus! Cecelia! It's been so long since I have seen you!"

"Yes, it has been quite a long time, Danielle. We had not seen you since your father past away," Cecelia said as she embraced Danielle.

"And now we know why. We know everything," Marcus said.

Danielle smiled. "You told them, right, Jacqueline?" she asked.

"Marguerite told even more than I did about what mother had planned," Jacqueline explained.

"Has she been punished for everything she has done?" Danielle asked.

"We were waiting until you woke up so that you could witness it," Marie said. "You deserve to see them punished for how they treated you."

"I understand. Now, you can punish them as you see fit," Danielle said.

"Yes, we can. And Marguerite is being given leniency since she informed us of many things she has done, including everything about how she treated you," Marie said.

Danielle nodded before turning toward the window of the room. It had been in the midst of harvest when the ball had been held and now it was the middle of winter. The trees were bare and snow covered the earth.

She turned away from the window and faced the man she loved. She knew that he had spent the past few months at her bedside, begging her to wake up. She could feel his love for her in her comatose state. He proved just how much he loved her and that he deserved her forgiveness.

"Henry," she said, holding out her arms.

He didn't hesitate and flew into her arms, embracing her gently, not wanting to hurt her. The rest of the group left the couple alone. They knew that Henry and Danielle had a lot to talk about.

Henry pulled back and helped Danielle sit up and he held her hands tightly, as if he were afraid to let go. "Danielle, these past few months, I had been so scared when you were laying here. The doctor said that with your injuries, you could have died, but you fought to stay here," he said to her.

"I was ready to give up, Henry, until I heard your voice. You kept me here. You helped me to live so that I could be here to see Rodmilla be punished and I saw that Marguerite when I awoke. I saw that she had changed," Danielle told him.

"She has changed. She actually helped the servants and the doctor take care of you all these months," Henry explained to her.

Danielle smiled. What a way to humble her stepsister.


	7. Chapter 7

Yes, finally here it is! Chapter Seven of A New Start!

Read and Review!

Chapter Seven

The next day

Danielle sat in her new wheelchair by the window, looking down on the snowy gardens. Winter had arrived. Christmas was only a few weeks away. Danielle was looking forward to the holiday, since the doctor had approved of her taking the trip to Paris with the royal family for the holiday.

Henry wasn't there at the moment. His father had called him to the palace, insisting on planning out the perfect punishment for Rodmilla. Danielle had told him to tell his father to allow Rodmilla one last Christmas before she was punished. She felt her stepmother deserved that. Marguerite was being punished at the moment by working as a servant for a nearby duke & duchess. Marguerite had accepted her punishment, especially after she had helped with Danielle's recovery.

A knock sounded on the door & she turned her eyes away from the window to see Queen Marie herself with a smile on her face. "Hello, your highness. What do I owe this honor?"

"Oh, Danielle, you need not be so formal with me. You shall be my daughter after Christmas. I would be honored if you would call me mother," Marie said as she approached the young woman.

Tears filled Danielle's eyes at those words. Marie approached her. "What is it, dear?"

"I've wanted a mother for so long. My mother died giving birth to me & Rodmilla had been the only other mother figure in my life. I would be honored to have a mother," Danielle said.

Marie embraced her as she cried. They had been told about the death of Danielle's mother Nicole after giving birth to her. Nicole had been a good friend of the queen before Danielle's birth, but the two women had lost touch with each other. Marie wished that they hadn't. Maybe Danielle wouldn't have been made a servant in her own home.

"I understand, Danielle. But you have a mother who loves & cares for you now. I promise that I will always be here for you & Henry. Always," Marie said as she comforted Danielle.

"Thank you. I've missed having a mother, even though I have never shown it. Thank you so much," Danielle said as they parted. Danielle began to wipe her eyes with her hankerchief. She smiled at Marie a moment later.

Marie smiled back. "I believe that your mother would be honored to have you consider me as your mother. She would be so proud of you."

"And she would hate Rodmilla for how she treated me," Danielle said.

Marie sat in a nearby chair & both women sat & told stories to each other for the rest of the day.

That night, once the servants had helped her back into bed, she turned toward the window. She thought about the afternoon she had spent with Marie, telling tales about their childhoods. Danielle treasured each story Marie had told her from when she & Danielle's mother Nicole were young. She realized that she & her lost mother were very much alike. Both grew up as rebellious tomboys until their fathers remarried. Marie told her that Nicole & her sister Anna loved their stepmother Marina dearly. How unlike she felt toward Rodmilla. Now that she was finally getting justice, she was finally able to show what she really felt toward her stepmother. And it wasnt feelings of love, it was feelings of loathing & hatred. She now realized just how much she hated her stepmother, a hatred she had hidden for over ten years. She realized just how much of her feelings for her stepsisters were also hatred, especially Marguerite. But any hatred she felt toward Jacqueline had faded a long time ago. Jacqueline had made Rodmilla & Marguerite bearable. The strongest amount of hatred she felt was for Rodmilla. Rodmilla had been the one who hadn't even tried to be a mother to her. Marguerite was trying now & was learning her lesson.

Danielle decided to put her thoughts away for a while. She sank down lower among her blankets & fell asleep.

After hours of planning with his father, Henry stepped out of his father's conference room & down the hall to his chamber. He walked to the window & stared towards the Chateau de Valle & noticed that the light was already out in Danielle's room. He looked at a clock in his room & noticed it was quite late. He hadn't realized he & his father had been planning Rodmilla's punishment practically all day.

He sighed. He had wanted to spend part of the day with Danielle, but he understood that Rodmilla needed to be punished for how she treated Danielle. He was glad though that Marguerite was learning her lesson & was taking her own punishment very well. Marguerite had also been among the servants that attended to Danielle while she was comatose.

On the other hand, Jacqueline & Laurent were spending almost every waking moment together. The couple were so in love with each other. They couldn't wait to get married. Jacqueline & Laurent were already living at the Manoir de Barbarac while Rodmilla was still there, confined to only a few rooms as part of what they considered house arrest.

Henry sighed again before turning away & readying himself for bed. He crawled into bed & blew out the candle. He fell asleep to dreams of his & Danielle's life.


End file.
